Thursday, 12 December 2013

You know you are feeling at home in Uganda when.......

You find yourself pointing with your lips and saying "yes"
by raising both eyebrows.

You can masterfully employ a variety of "Eh!" and
"Eh eh!" noises to convey a range of meanings.

You start referring to people as "this one" or
"that one".

You willingly drive into oncoming traffic just to avoid the
potholes.

You can speak Uganglish so well that - you talk with a
Ugandan accent; use words like 'shocked,' 'fearing,' 'extend,' 'balance,'
''somehow,' 'even me,' and 'can you imagine' and 'are you sure?' far too
often.

You know the load shedding schedule by heart.

When you come back from being out of the country and
conversations go as: "you have been lost!!" and you respond: "I
have been found! "How is
there?" and you respond "there is fine!” "You have gone
fat!!!" and you are lost for words because you forgot that being fat is a desired look!

You emphasize how you like something and they say: "Are
you sure?"

Someone calls out your name and your reply is: "I am
the one!"

You end the conversation with "ok please".

You ask for someone, and you know the answer "He's
within" means everything from "He's within the building" to
"He's within the city" or even "He's within the country".

You start sentences with 'As for me, I ….'

You get 'Am Fine' as a reply to your 'hi'.

Clothes becomes a two-syllable word. Clo - thes.

You know the man asking for Lose actually refers to Rose,
and you try not to laugh when some people say “loundabout” instead of
roundabout.

Your handshakes last an entire conversation

Your home does not have an address.

People walk into your house and you say "You are all
most welcome!"

You think "eh" in a high pitch tone is the correct
way to respond when a boda drivers price suggestion is too high.

You start calling people "My dear" and say "sorry, sorry" when someone hurts themselves or "Bambi"!

(this was edited and added to from an anonymous writer on a fb group in Uganda)

This blog documents our journey of getting children out of "orphanages" and back into families. It also shares about others in Uganda who share the same passion.
Written word and photos are the property of Mark and Keren Riley. Use only with permission.